The district occupies an area of 1,268 km2 (490 sq mi), making it the nineteenth largest in the state with Gurgaon and Panchkula following it.

The Deputy Commissioner along with ADC, chief executive officer of Zila Parishad, Superintendent of Police and other senior officers of the district looks after the development and regulatory functions in the district.

The district is divided into 2 sub-divisions, each headed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM): Panipat and Samalkha.

The above 2 sub-divisions are divided into 5 revenue tehsils, namely, Panipat, Samalkha, Israna, Bapoli and Madlauda.

According to the 2011 census Panipat district has a population of 1,205,437,[2] roughly equal to the nation of Bahrain[3] or the US state of New Hampshire.

[2] The district has a population density of 951 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,460/sq mi) .

[2] Panipat has a sex ratio of 864 females for every 1000 males,[2] and a literacy rate of 75.94%.

[6] There are several engineering colleges in Panipat district: List of films, Chandrawal, Jagat Jakhar)